Small details are what make a home a home… I think we all agree. I found the embroidery in a local flea market… it was unfinished and tatty but that made me like it even more For what was left unsaid… I could use my imagination, speculate on the reasons that the faces were bare

I haven’t been to the flea markets lately… I am missing them… missing the colour, missing the life… missing the browse What caught my attention… was a touch of blue Blue was everywhere… all around, among and amidst Blue seemed to find my eye Eye spy with my little eye… Something beginning with BLUE… xv

I have always thought that candles are one of the easiest ways to create ambience in our homes. Long lasting and easy to style… candlelight can make even the most simple of spaces look magical… These candles at the Maison Objet in Paris… arranged on platters… different colours and different heights… were so atmospheric… I

Herbal tea… when the leaves come straight from the garden… is the most refreshing and therapeutic digestif of all. One of my favourites, popular in southern France, is verveine… lemon verbena… deliciously citrus in flavour but with an added kick The perfect afternoon or after dinner drink… I like it iced in summer and as an

I have found a very quick and easy lunch menu that everyone likes… I mentioned a few weeks ago how to caramelise and slow bake tomatoes ( recipe here) so once you have done that the rest is easy… I usually make two different tarts for this lunch menu … tomato with black tapenade and

Sometimes I just love the French language… not only for its beautiful cadence and its romantic sound.. because it is most definitely those things… but also because I find some French words and their translations adorable. In this case I am talking about lemons and limes… and perhaps it is only me who could make

There is no such thing as a simple coffee… I don’t mean the ‘LA Story’ half-double-decaffeinated -half-caf-with-a-twist-of-lemon kind of coffee… I mean the very popular le cafe gourmand that is served in many restaurants in Provence. Le cafe gourmand is usually an espresso served with bite size tastes of deliciousness… not the full desert, but a

I have fallen in love with vintage French fabrics. I have always admired them but never been exactly sure what to do with them… until yesterday. As I was dunking myself in the swimming pool for the zillionth time (I can’t even describe how hot it has been this week… it is impossible to concentrate…

I walked into the kitchen and thought… an edit is in order, a make-over, a change of face. Our kitchen has a large wooden table that runs the length of the room and it tends to be the place where I abandon all my bits and pieces. I have had cottons and ribbons, cups

I had heard about this restaurant, Auberge de la Mole, but have never had the opportunity to dine there… Now I have… Amazing in a word. My friends warned me… no eating after breakfast on the day we were to go… it’s a veritable feast and tests the heartiest of gourmands… Mole is a small village

Cinqante Cinq… 55… one of the oldest and most well known beach clubs in Saint Tropez… actually, just outside of Saint Tropez on Pampelonne Beach. Yes… it is crowded, over priced and at times it falls short when it comes to service but I still love it. I am a sentimental soul at heart (

What to wear in Saint Tropez? It’s easy… The kaftan… long, short and in-between. I am a fan of the kaftan… have been forever… they look wonderful in the summer and hide a multitude of over indulgence… The women in Saint Trop have a penchant for the kaftan… flowing à la Moss as in the photograph

What’s white and creamy, tastes of honey and almonds… and is the most delicious sweet in the world? Simple… for me, it is the nougat from La Pâtisserie Sénéquier in Saint Tropez… I have been munching this delectable sweet since 1995 and this nougat is without doubt one of the best. I am sorry to

Tuesday and Saturday mornings in Saint Tropez are crazy in the summer season… The Place des Lices, shady and quiet… normally a destination for the older generation of males to toss a boule or two… becomes an outdoor market. We arrived at 8:30 am and by then it was already crowded… it is a large

In Saint Tropez… everything is on show… the good, the great and the totally fabulous… It wasn’t just the glamorous super yachts that grabbed my attention yesterday… It was the shoes… and the legs… the fabulous legs… promenading on every little street… I tried to point and click on the whole scene before me